Rainbow Falls Trail (November 15, 2008)

While the weather was pretty uncooperative early Saturday morning, I ventured into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park with my dad and Cheryl and managed to take a few pictures along the Rainbow Falls Trail before the rain started again.

This weekend I was pleasantly surprised to find out that one of the four pictures I had entered in the 2008 Celebrating Nature Through Photography had been chosen to receive an honorable mention. As I’ve only had my camera for about four months now, I’m pretty happy with the results, and only hope I can get some great pictures in the upcoming seasons for the 2009 contest.

The Celebrating Nature Through Photography contest is an annual event held at the National Center for Nature Photography in the Secor Metropark. The exhibit features 637 images from 95 local photographers and will be on display from noon until 5pm on Saturday and Sunday through December 21.

The four pictures that I submitted for consideration are available via my flickr page (some of the photos were slightly cropped from the photos linked below):

• An Acrobatic Mantis
• Farnsworth at Dusk
• Goldfinch in the Prarie (Local Fauna Honorable Mention Winner)
• Monarch on Blazing-Star

Small Waterfall in Logan County (October 18, 2008)

While in Bellefontaine this past Saturday, I remembered a small waterfall near the beginning of the Mad River, north of Zanesfield off of County Road 5. So, Cheryl and I grabbed my camera bag and tripod and made our way down the bank and into the water.

University of Toledo Rockets vs. Michigan Wolverines (October 11, 2008)

The University of Toledo Rockets went up to the Big House in Ann Arbor... and won 13-10!

A day that I’ll never forget, I’m sure... This one is getting framed and placed right next to the picture from the amazing comeback, at the Glass Bowl, against Bowling Green in 2004.

Around My Parents’ House (September 27, 2008)

Random pictures of a bee, a dog (Pheobe), a cat, some fire, and birdhouses.

Field Session #2 - Farnsworth (September 25, 2008)

Pictures taken in the Roche de Bout area of Farnsworth, west of downtown Waterville, while on the second field session of the Toledo Metroparks photography program.

Secor Metropark with Nelly (September 21, 2008)

I went with Cheryl, her mom, and their new Golden Retriever puppy Nelly to the Secor Metropark for a walk around the long loop trail.

Note: I’ve fallen a little behind on getting my photos processed and posted... expect a couple more sets in the next few days.

Civil War Encampment @ Wildwood Preserve (September 14, 2008)

I woke up early Sunday morning to head to the Wildwood Preserve to participate in a Toledo Metroparks program to take photographs at the annual Civil War Encampment.

Field Session #1 - Secor (September 11, 2008)

Pictures taken during the first of four field sessions, part of the nature photography classes presented by the Toledo Metroparks.

Note: I’ll be posting a total of four field sessions for the nature photography classes I am taking through the Toledo Metroparks. Please leave comments on your favorite pictures; I need to decide on a couple to submit for critiquing on the final night. Thanks!

Oak Openings Sand Dunes (September 7, 2008)

Pictures I took while hiking around the sand dunes off of Girdham Road in the Oak Openings Preserve.

Hiking at Secor Metropark (September 6, 2008)

We decided to head to the Secor Metropark off of Central Avenue to see what the park had to offer and so that I could figure out where my nature photography class was meeting. While hiking, we ran into a snake... twice.

This set also has a couple outdoor pictures taken around Cheryl's house.

Bowling Green Wind Farm (September 1, 2008)

Cheryl and I make a quick stop at the Bowling Green Wind Farm off of SR-6 in Wood County to take a closer look at the four wind turbines installed there.

Labor Day Picnic at Indian Lake (August 31, 2008)

My mom's side of the family got together for a picnic near Indian Lake. Later, the annual Ring of Fire lit up the night with carefully-placed flares encircling the lake.

Last Home Game of the ’08 Season (August 29, 2008)

Cheryl and I went downtown to Fifth Third Field for the final game of the season as the Toledo Mud Hens took on the Columbus Clippers. Our seats were four rows behind third base, leading to some pretty good picture opportunities and a good chance to try out my 70-200 + 1.4x extender.

NWOR SCCA Solo: Toledo Express (August 24, 2008)
I spent a hot, sticky Sunday standing on a runway taking pictures of cars as they made their way through the circuit setup on the runway. This was the 8th NWOR SCCA event of the year, hosted at the Toledo Express airport.

MetLife Snoopy 3 @ Toledo Express (August 17, 2008)
After receiving a call the night before that a blimp was circling the airport, I went out in the early hours to grab a couple pictures of it and got to watch it take off and head east.


Dragons In the Sky (August 16, 2008)
Pictures taken while participating in the Dragons In the Sky program at the Oak Openings Metropark. Unfortunately, dragonflies are hard to focus on properly, so there are more butterflies than anything in this set.

Northwest Ohio Region SCCA Solo: Alex Partners (October 10, 2008)
The 7th regional SCCA Solo event of 2008, hosted at Alex Partners in Ridgeville Corners, Ohio.


Afternoon In Ottawa (August 9, 2008)
Pictures from a cool and relaxing afternoon in Ottawa, Ohio, with friends from college.

This past weekend, my parents came up to Toledo and we eventually made our way downtown for the 2008 Ribs On the River event in Promenade Park. While the event was a little light. I enjoyed a pulled pork sandwhich from the Chicago BBQ Company and took some pictures of the crowd and surrounding area. Below are a few of my favorites:


The crowd waiting to sample ribs from the Chicago BBQ Company booth at the 2008 Ribs on the River event in downtown Toledo.


The Nu-Tones playing in downtown Toledo at the 2008 Ribs On the River event.


The top of the Fifth Third Bank building from Promenade Park in downtown Toledo.

I received an email from the Managing Editor of Schmap Guides letting me know that one of my photos was selected to be part of their updated Philadelphia Guide! Sure it is just a picture of a cheese steak, but it was from the famous Rick’s Steaks in the Reading Terminal Market in downtown Philadelphia, and mighty tasty!

Schmap Philadelphia Guide

Honda Indy 200 Qualifying @ Mid-Ohio (July 19, 2008)
Pictures taken during the qualifying day festivities of the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio in Lexington, OH. Other racing included SCCA qualifying and the Acura Sports Car Challenge.

I’ve also posted some pictures of an interesting Royal Walnut Moth we encountered on our way home.

While I was pretty impressed with the new camera on its first real test, I was painfully reminded that if I want to take photos at these events (i.e. sports), I really need to invest in a good, high quality telephoto lens. The one that I’m particularly interested in is the Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS lens (as well as the EF 1.4x II Extender for those situations where a little more reach is needed), however I don’t have another $1,000 available at this time. So, I guess I’ll just have to keep practicing with the Tamron 17-50 in the meantime...

I snapped this photo while playing with Phoebe in the front yard at my parent’s house this past weekend and really like how it turned out. It is a little out of focus; I need to rememeber to adjust my aperture to something smaller than f/2.8 when necessary.

(Click on the photo to download the full-resolution version.)

Afternoon on Lake Pleasant in Michigan (July 12, 2008)
Cheryl and I went to one of her friend's cottages on Lake Pleasant in southern Michigan for the day for a day of fun in the sun.




Next weekend should be an exciting one as I’m heading to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Dad was able to get tickets from Honda, which makes the deal even better. The weekend includes and IndyCar race, an American Le Mans Series race, and SCCA Speed World Challenge Touring and GT races. I’ll definitely be there on Saturday and hope to take a lot of great pictures from various points around the course.

Celebtrating the 4th at Fifth Third Field (July 4, 2008)
Cheryl and I head downtown to celebrate the 4th of July by watching the Toledo Mud Hens take on the Columbus Clippers and the two fireworks displays afterwards.


I also posted some miscellaneous photos to the Unsorted Pictures set.

Indians vs. Reds (June 28, 2008)
Cheryl and I meet up with Brian and Trisha and head into downtown Cleveland to watch the Cleveland Indians vs. Cincinnati Reds.




Test & Tune at Milan Dragway (June 27, 2008)
Zim, Don, and myself drove up to Milan Dragway for the Miller Lite Beer Nickel and Dime Test & Tune. While they played around with cars, I practiced panning with moving objects.

2008 Michigan Inspired Brewery Tour (June 21, 2008)

This past Saturday, I got up early and started driving into Michigan, heading west towards Kalamazoo. While I knew that it would be a day I wouldn’t soon forget, I had no idea I would learn so much and get to meet some very interesting people who enjoy the great brews the state of Michigan has to offer. The fun started with a tour of the Bell’s Brewery in Comstock, Michigan where we were able to get up close and personal with the equipment and see exactly how the #1 microbrewery in Michigan operates. While I knew the brewery would be large, I guess I wasn’t ready for the sheer size of the facility -- it definitely isn’t your typical brewpub operation.

After the tour, we headed a couple miles west into downtown Kalamazoo to the Bell’s Eccentric Cafe -- on the site of the original brewery -- to sample our favorite Bell’s concoctions while trying a few pub exclusives like Überon and a Double Brown Ale. While similar to Oberon, Überon is conditioned in bourbon barrels and packs quite a punch at 10% ABV. I would have loved to have taken a growler of this stuff home with me, but they do not offer them at the cafe. We were also treated to a quick lecture by Rex Halfpenny, publisher of the Michigan Beer Guide, who discussed the history of beer and how it has evolved over the centuries. He also stressed the importance of supporting your local breweries as much as you can, something I definitely agree with. Afterwards, Larry Bell -- the founder of Bell’s Brewery -- spoke for a couple minutes before mingling with the crowd. I was able to talk to him for 10-15 minutes about various topics including baseball and getting into the brewing industry. In all honesty, he was a very easy-going person and I felt very privileged to have the opportunity to talk with him.

Our last stop on the tour took us back east to Marshall, where we visited the Dark Horse Brewing Company. After a tour of the facilities, owner/head brewer Aaron Morse answered a couple questions I had about opening a brewery at such a young age (he started right after graduating college). His response was to keep it small and simple, and not to try and split your focus between a brewery and a restaurant; both excellent pieces of advice that I’ll be sure to remember for the future...

2008 Whitehouse Cherry Fest (June 14, 2008)
A beautiful Saturday afternoon/evening in downtown Whitehouse for the annual Cherry Fest.

Video: Cherry Fest Fireworks


Mud Hens vs. Indians (June 13, 2008)
Even though the weather report called for non-stop rain, we took a chance and headed downtown to catch the Toledo Mud Hens take on the Indianapolis Indians. While the score didn't end up in our favor, we stayed dry and got to enjoy a nice evening at the park.



Next week is my visit to the Bell’s Brewery and Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo!

Kirby Chambliss (winner) navigating the pylons at the south end of the circuit.

I spent the past weekend with Cheryl (and her parents on Sunday) watching the 2008 Red Bull Air Race on the Detroit River inbetween Detroit and Windsor. While we were only going to go for Saturday’s qualifying, we decided at the last minute to head back up Sunday morning to catch the race, and I’m definitely glad that we did. Not only did we get to see some amazing flying, I was able to score a seat right on the river’s edge (literally, if I moved forward a foot I would have gotten severly wet). While I was able to get some great pictures, I really would have loved to have the Canon G9 I have talked about in the past.

• Detroit Red Bull Air Race - Qualifying
• Detroit Red Bull Air Race - Race

• Video: Low F-18 flyby.
• Video: Aerobatics pass by a team from Canada.
• Video: Paul Bonhomme's run through the course on race day.
• I really hope they decide to come back to Detroit again next year; I’d love to stay up in Windsor for the race weekend!

I’ve been slacking on my Flickr photoset announcement postings here, so without further delay:

Memorial Day Weekend In Oak Openings (May 25, 2008)
Pictures taken Memorial Day weekend as we walked the Ferns & Lake (a.k.a. Blue) Trail at the Oak Openings Preserve near Whitehouse.





Training In Indianapolis (May 18-22, 2008)
I recently visited Indianapolis for a week of BlueCoat proxy training for work. While there, I took these pictures at various places around the city.





Weekend In Central Ohio (May 17-18, 2008)
I head down to central Ohio with Cheryl to visit my parents, walk around the German Village in Columbus, and watch the Mud Hens take on the Clippers at Cooper Stadium (and somehow find time to help cut down a tree).

Mud Hens Opening Weekend - The weather was warm as the Mud Hens took the field on a Saturday evening. By the end of the night, the home team had beat the Durham Bulls 6-1 and continued their winning streak in 2008. While the game started off quick with three runs in the first inning, the middle seemed to drag on until the bottom of the eighth when the Hens tacked another three on off of a second home run by first basemen Jeff Larish. All in all, it was a pretty fun night in downtown Toledo -- one that I hope to revisit soon.

EDIT: Kelly sent me a couple pictures that they took before the Ambulance Chase 5k this weekend on the UT campus. While none of them show me actually running, you should notice that I do have one of those stupid number boards pinned to my shirt. I've added them, along with a few more from the Mud Hens game, to this Flickr set.

Walk w/ Phoebe Around the Lake - This weekend, while at my parent's to see America in concert, Cheryl and I decided to take Phoebe out for a walk at Camp Willson. We ended up making our way around Lake Mac-O-Chee. The walk was pretty enjoyable, but Phoebe required a bath by the time we made it home as she was covered in mud. While on our hike, we took a few pictures, which I've posted to my account.


This Saturday, Kelly, Jared, Cheryl, and I are heading downtown to see the Toledo Mud Hens take on the Durham Bulls as their season begins. It is an evening game so it'll be cold outside, but hopefully the rain stays out of the area. I've also somehow been convinced to participate in a 5k run that morning on the UT campus. I'm not quite sure what to expect... all I'm hoping is that I make it to the finish line in one piece so that I can enjoy some ballpark food and a beer or two.

Easter Weekend at Mad River Mountain - It's hard to believe, but the 2007-2008 snowboard season is finally wrapping up here in Ohio. After extending their season an extra two weeks, Mad River Mountain officially closed their slopes earlier tonight. This season saw an above-average amount of snow and the reappearance of a halfpipe, now located where the tubing runs were before the 2006 expansion. While the pipe was a welcome addition, I'm really hoping they make it a little wider next season as it felt a little cramped compared to some of the others I was in this year.

Heading down the flat rail in the Zero G terrain park; a great way to end the season!

Before heading down to Bellefontaine Saturday morning, I spent Thursday night and Friday over at Brian & Trisha's house to catch the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. By the end of Friday night, we had quite a group gathered and enjoyed various snack foods prepared by Trisha (the jalapeño popper dip was my personal favorite). The next couple weeks will be busy as well: back home next weekend to see America in concert with my parents (and hopefully stopping at the new Sonic in Urbana along the way), and then I'm heading to a Mud Hens game opening weekend against the Durham Bulls with Cheryl, Jared, and Kelly.

Also, I just found out that Bell's Oberon Ale is heading back to store shelves starting tomorrow (March 24)! I can't wait to pick up a six-pack as soon as I can; while I hate to see winter come to an end, it always feels good to crack open one of these at the end of a long day.

Michigan Snowboard Weekend 2008 - The end of the season has finally arrived, marked by a journey up to Petoskey, Michigan, with dad to enjoy one last weekend on the snow. While resorts here in Ohio have been able to extend their season by a week now (and maybe more), both Boyne Highlands and Nub's Nob are still sitting on significant base amounts. The snow was pretty good for March, a little hard, and we had a great time Friday night and all-day Saturday on the snow. Below are two of my favorite pictures from the trip. Now comes the long wait until the next season begins...

Coming off of a banked-corner on the boardercross course at Nub's Nob.



Looking up the superpipe in quiet reflection on a great snowboarding
season, sadly coming to an end. Then again, there's always next year...

2008 Glass City Beer Fest - Friday night, Cheryl and I made our way downtown to the Erie Street Market for the 2nd Annual Glass City Beer Fest. This was a charitable event supporting the Hemophilia Foundation and The Arc of Lucas County. Beers from 25 different breweries were available, and each ticket bought 12 3-4oz tastings. The best of the night had to be the Breakfast Stout (Imperial Stout) from Founder's Brewery out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Below is my official tasting order for the night, with my top three italicized:

#1 - Hoppin Frog - Hoppin to Heaven IPA
#2 - New Holland Brewery - Dragon's Milk (Oak Aged Stout)
#3 - Bell's Brewery - Third Coast Beer (Light Pale)
#4 - Magic Hat - #9 (Apricot Pale Ale)
#5 - Goose Island Brewery - Matilda (Belgian Style Ale)
#6 - Founder's Brewery - Breakfast Stout (Imperial Stout)
#7 - Jolly Pumpkin Brewery - Oro D Calaboza (Golden Ale)
#8 - Bear Republic - Red Rocket (Amber)
#9 - Barrelhouse Brewery - Cumberland Pale Ale
#10 - Ommegang - Hennepin (Saison)
#11 - Avery Brewing - Kaiser (Marzen)
#12 - Stone - Pale Ale
#13 - Maumee Bay Brewing Company - Steam (California Common) <-- AWFUL taste!

On an totally separate note, I just wanted to send my congratulations to Ryan and Renee who had a baby boy, Braden, this week. I hope to stop down there soon and see the newest addition to their family.

Snowshoe 2008 - This past weekend, my family made our way across Ohio and into the heart of West Virginia for a weekend of snowboarding at the Snowshoe Mountain resort. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it doesn't get much better on the east coast than Snowshoe. We've gone there three times now, and every time it snows a lot. They didn't have their halfpipe built this year, but all-in-all it was a pretty fun trip.


This Friday is the 2nd annual Glass City Beer Fest in downtown Toledo. Cheryl and I will be attending once again this year, with all proceeds going to benefit the Northwest Ohio Hemophilia Foundation and The Arc of Lucas County. Also, dad surprised me with news that we will be heading to Boyne the following weekend in what will likely be the last time on snow for the season, so I have that to look forward to as well.

Braden & Cheryl Go Snowboarding - This past Saturday, Braden and Cheryl worked up enough courage to take a shot at snowboarding at Mad River Mountain back home. The place was packed for College Daze weekend, but both did a pretty good job even though they both had some pretty good falls (as this picture illustrates). While the group got a beer and found a spot on the outside patio, dad and I took a couple runs (Cheryl took a couple pictures including this one of me).

Next weekend will be our trip to Snowshoe and what will likely be the last big trip of the season. It always seems to go by too fast...

Perfect North Slopes - This weekend, Dad and I made the 2.5 hour drive down to Lawrenceburg, Indiana to visit Perfect North Slopes and see what they had to offer. One interesting fact: Perfect North Slopes was one of the last resorts in the United States to allow snowboarding until sometime into the '90s when they finally realized that the sport was here to stay and they were missing out on substantial revenue. We also went to my favorite BBQ place, Burbanks, and saw the new IKEA building just north of Cincinnati (opening March 18th).

Matchbox Twenty - I was able to take a number of pictures while at the Rochester Mills Beer Company, as well as the Matchbox Twenty concert at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Everything said, it was a pretty good show and Matchbox Twenty didn't disappoint. They played approximately 22 songs before calling it a night. After the concert, they even offered a digital copy made from the soundboard, which sounded very nice but cost $35. A neat idea, and definitely a cash cow as the line went on far beyond what I could see. Other stops on the trip included IKEA, The Somerset Collection (where I purchased two Polo sweaters and a polo shirt for the price of one sweater), and bd's Mongolian Barbeque in downtown Ann Arbor.

And yes, I was finally able to break the "no growlers" streak by picking one up at Rochester Mills. =)

2008 NAIAS - This past weekend, the guys (minus Brian) made our annual trip up to the Cobo Arena in downtown Detroit to take a look at the new cars on display at the North American International Auto Show. As expected, it was packed with people and hot, so we decided to hit up the Atwater Block Brewing Company afterwards for dinner. Of course, they didn't have any growlers in-stock -- making it now two breweries in a row I've left empty handed.


I woke up early this morning and made it down to Bellefontaine shortly after Mad River Mountain opened. The snow was the best it had been all-season, and we ended up staying out there for about three hours before calling it a day. The Winter X-Games Superpipe Finals start in just under an hour; here's to hoping a certain tomato doesn't win the gold.

It's that time of the snowboard season; the 12th annual Winter X-Games began last night in Aspen, Colorado. While the men's snowboard events don't start until tomorrow, there is still plenty of snowboard action going on with the women's events. I found the picture above while looking around on expn.com and thought it was pretty cool... one day I'm going to drive one of those amazing machines. Hometown favorite Louie Vito hits the slopes Saturday night in the Superpipe prelims; hopefully this year goes better than last, where he didn't advance to the finals on Sunday (he was also injured).

Here's a photo from below the gigantic superpipe located near the base of the mountain. It is built at the same loc